Viewer video: Wayward pelican spotted on Cleveland breakwall

CLEVELAND -- An unexpected find for birdwatchers along the Lake Erie shore today.

Just after 9 a.m., a Channel 3 viewer spotted a pelican while scanning the breakwall for nesting gulls. The viewer tells us it's a juvenile brown pelican that is normally found along the East and Gulf coasts.

Hurricanes or tropical storms are normally responsible for knocking the pelicans off course and bringing them to unfamiliar areas such as the North Coast.

There have been a handful of sightings in Ohio (including one last year at Atwood Lake likely due to interference from Hurricane Isaac.)

A brown pelican was last spotted in Cleveland in the 1990s. It's not clear whether the pelican will make its way back to its usual coastal habitat.